iOS 7 lock-screen bypass allows access to photos, contacts, social networking

Settle into your seats for the Return of the Lock-Screen Bypass, Part XVII: The iOS 7-ing. Once again, someone's figured out a way to access data from your iPhone or iPad without entering your lock code. (You do have a lock code, don't you?) As for what makes this time different from all other times, it's the first instance of a bug of this type in Apple's newest OS.

The trick was discovered by Jose Rodriguez, who also discovered similar bugs in iOS 6. In this case, it requires using the new Control Center feature to get into the Clock app, and then uses a bit of fleet-fingered dexterity to bring up the multitasking interface. From there, you'll see images of the other apps you recently had open, though most will have blank screens (pictured above). The only ones that can actually be brought to the foreground are those that Control Center can open, including the Calculator, Clock, and Camera.

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Of them, the Camera app is the most worrying: Despite not having entered the PIN, somebody using this method can access all the pictures you've taken; they can also send such pictures to themselves via the Share pane, as well as see your contacts by trying to Message or email pictures. And as I confirmed myself, they can also post images to Twitter or Facebook.

Apple, for its part, has told multiple news outlets that it's aware of the bug, which it says will be fixed in a future release. Until then, if you're concerned about the bug, it's best to disable access to Control Center from your lock screen in Settings > Control Center.

Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment in the Lock-Screen Bypass series, sure to hit a tech news site near you soon.

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Will software-defined networking kill network engineers' beloved CLI?

SDN (software-defined networking) promises some real benefits for people who use networks, but to the engineers who manage them, it may represent the end of an era.

Ever since Cisco made its first routers in the 1980s, most network engineers have relied on a CLI (command-line interface) to configure, manage and troubleshoot everything from small-office LANs to wide-area carrier networks. Cisco's isn't the only CLI, but on the strength of the company's domination of networking, it has become a de facto standard in the industry, closely emulated by other vendors.

[ Also on InfoWorld: Teach your router new tricks with DD-WRT. | Get expert networking how-to advice from InfoWorld's Networking Deep Dive PDF special report. | Subscribe to InfoWorld's Data Center newsletter to stay on top of the latest developments. ]

As such, it's been a ticket to career advancement for countless network experts, especially those certified as CCNAs (Cisco Certified Network Associates). Those network management experts, along with higher level CCIEs (Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts) and holders of other official Cisco credentials, make up a trained workforce of more than 2 million, according to the company.

A CLI is simply a way to interact with software by typing in lines of commands, as PC users did in the days of DOS. With the Cisco CLI and those that followed in its footsteps, engineers typically set up and manage networks by issuing commands to individual pieces of gear, such as routers and switches.

SDN, and the broader trend of network automation, uses a higher layer of software to control networks in a more abstract way. Whether through OpenFlow, Cisco's ONE (Open Network Environment) architecture, or other frameworks, the new systems separate the so-called control plane of the network from the forwarding plane, which is made up of the equipment that pushes packets. Engineers managing the network interact with applications, not ports.

"The network used to be programmed through what we call CLIs, or command-line interfaces. We're now changing that to create programmatic interfaces," Cisco Chief Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior said at a press event earlier this year.

Will SDN spell doom for the tool that network engineers have used throughout their careers?

"If done properly, yes, it should kill the CLI. Which scares the living daylights out of the vast majority of CCIEs," Gartner analyst Joe Skorupa said. "Certainly all of those who define their worth in their job as around the fact that they understand the most obscure Cisco CLI commands for configuring some corner-case BGP4 (Border Gateway Protocol 4) parameter."

At some of the enterprises that Gartner talks to, the backlash from some network engineers has already begun, according to Skorupa.

"We're already seeing that group of CCIEs doing everything they can to try and prevent SDN from being deployed in their companies," Skorupa said. Some companies have deliberately left such employees out of their evaluations of SDN, he said.

Not everyone thinks the CLI's days are numbered. SDN doesn't go deep enough to analyze and fix every flaw in a network, said Alan Mimms, a senior architect at F5 Networks.

View the original article here

Will software-defined networking kill network engineers' beloved CLI?

IDG News Service - SDN (software-defined networking) promises some real benefits for people who use networks, but to the engineers who manage them, it may represent the end of an era.

Ever since Cisco made its first routers in the 1980s, most network engineers have relied on a CLI (command-line interface) to configure, manage and troubleshoot everything from small-office LANs to wide-area carrier networks. Cisco's isn't the only CLI, but on the strength of the company's domination of networking, it has become a de facto standard in the industry, closely emulated by other vendors.

As such, it's been a ticket to career advancement for countless network experts, especially those certified as CCNAs (Cisco Certified Network Associates). Those network management experts, along with higher level CCIEs (Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts) and holders of other official Cisco credentials, make up a trained workforce of more than 2 million, according to the company.

A CLI is simply a way to interact with software by typing in lines of commands, as PC users did in the days of DOS. With the Cisco CLI and those that followed in its footsteps, engineers typically set up and manage networks by issuing commands to individual pieces of gear, such as routers and switches.

SDN, and the broader trend of network automation, uses a higher layer of software to control networks in a more abstract way. Whether through OpenFlow, Cisco's ONE (Open Network Environment) architecture, or other frameworks, the new systems separate the so-called control plane of the network from the forwarding plane, which is made up of the equipment that pushes packets. Engineers managing the network interact with applications, not ports.

"The network used to be programmed through what we call CLIs, or command-line interfaces. We're now changing that to create programmatic interfaces," Cisco Chief Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior said at a press event earlier this year.

Will SDN spell doom for the tool that network engineers have used throughout their careers?

"If done properly, yes, it should kill the CLI. Which scares the living daylights out of the vast majority of CCIEs," Gartner analyst Joe Skorupa said. "Certainly all of those who define their worth in their job as around the fact that they understand the most obscure Cisco CLI commands for configuring some corner-case BGP4 (Border Gateway Protocol 4) parameter."

At some of the enterprises that Gartner talks to, the backlash from some network engineers has already begun, according to Skorupa.

"We're already seeing that group of CCIEs doing everything they can to try and prevent SDN from being deployed in their companies," Skorupa said. Some companies have deliberately left such employees out of their evaluations of SDN, he said.

Reprinted with permission from IDG.net. Story copyright 2012 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

View the original article here

Will software-defined networking kill network engineers' beloved CLI?

SDN (software-defined networking) promises some real benefits for people who use networks, but to the engineers who manage them, it may represent the end of an era.

Ever since Cisco made its first routers in the 1980s, most network engineers have relied on a CLI (command-line interface) to configure, manage and troubleshoot everything from small-office LANs to wide-area carrier networks. Cisco's isn't the only CLI, but on the strength of the company's domination of networking, it has become a de facto standard in the industry, closely emulated by other vendors.

[ Also on InfoWorld: Teach your router new tricks with DD-WRT. | Get expert networking how-to advice from InfoWorld's Networking Deep Dive PDF special report. | Subscribe to InfoWorld's Data Center newsletter to stay on top of the latest developments. ]

As such, it's been a ticket to career advancement for countless network experts, especially those certified as CCNAs (Cisco Certified Network Associates). Those network management experts, along with higher level CCIEs (Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts) and holders of other official Cisco credentials, make up a trained workforce of more than 2 million, according to the company.

A CLI is simply a way to interact with software by typing in lines of commands, as PC users did in the days of DOS. With the Cisco CLI and those that followed in its footsteps, engineers typically set up and manage networks by issuing commands to individual pieces of gear, such as routers and switches.

SDN, and the broader trend of network automation, uses a higher layer of software to control networks in a more abstract way. Whether through OpenFlow, Cisco's ONE (Open Network Environment) architecture, or other frameworks, the new systems separate the so-called control plane of the network from the forwarding plane, which is made up of the equipment that pushes packets. Engineers managing the network interact with applications, not ports.

"The network used to be programmed through what we call CLIs, or command-line interfaces. We're now changing that to create programmatic interfaces," Cisco Chief Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior said at a press event earlier this year.

Will SDN spell doom for the tool that network engineers have used throughout their careers?

"If done properly, yes, it should kill the CLI. Which scares the living daylights out of the vast majority of CCIEs," Gartner analyst Joe Skorupa said. "Certainly all of those who define their worth in their job as around the fact that they understand the most obscure Cisco CLI commands for configuring some corner-case BGP4 (Border Gateway Protocol 4) parameter."

At some of the enterprises that Gartner talks to, the backlash from some network engineers has already begun, according to Skorupa.

"We're already seeing that group of CCIEs doing everything they can to try and prevent SDN from being deployed in their companies," Skorupa said. Some companies have deliberately left such employees out of their evaluations of SDN, he said.

Not everyone thinks the CLI's days are numbered. SDN doesn't go deep enough to analyze and fix every flaw in a network, said Alan Mimms, a senior architect at F5 Networks.

View the original article here

“Art of Networking” Night

“Art of Networking” Night

Freshman get a crash course in the art of networking—from MBAs.

Networking is an essential skill in the professional’s arsenal, and you can’t get started too early. On Thursday, November 10, the Smith School’s Freshman Fellows learned how to work a room from an unusual source—Smith MBA students. The freshman got a quick presentation on tips and best practices, and then split into small groups to practice networking and present their personal elevator pitch for review.

It isn’t always easy to capitalize on that first opportunity to make a good impression, even for seasoned pros. But it’s twice as hard when you’ve never really done it before. So the advice was very practical: Don’t directly ask for a job or special treatment. Pay attention to the person you’re with—make eye contact, listen, turn off your mobile phone. Don’t talk about sensitive or very personal topics. If there is food, stick to items that aren’t messy or sticky, and make sure to keep one hand free so you can shake hands or hand out your business card. Don’t drink. This is pretty standard stuff, but for the 70 freshman in attendance, most of them still teenagers, the suggestions were both novel and helpful.

“Asking people you talk to, to refer you to others, that’s something I’m going to try,” Lakshmi Mellacheruvu said. “I’m the kind of person who usually just stays and talks with people I know, but I’m going to try to really get out there.”

Tim Rogers learned to combine subtlety with intent. “We’re not asking for a job, we’re marketing ourselves. It’s different than going to a party where you’re just trying to socialize,” he said. “Networking is about making the connection and then following through.”

The “Art of Networking” Night was sponsored by the Office of Career Services, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, and the MBA Leadership Fellows, who helped mentor and evaluate the younger students. While the undergraduates were learning basics in elevator pitches and conversational skills, their fellow Terps in the MBA program were developing their analytical and mentoring skills. Both groups took away something meaningful from the evening.

It’s the kind of event that could only happen at Smith, because not many top business schools offer both MBA and undergraduate programs. The broad range of offerings at Smith also allows for rich and dynamic interactions between learners at all levels—undergraduates, MBA students, MS students, doctoral students, and executives from many different industries and backgrounds.

Second-year MBA student Narda Ipakchi, who worked in healthcare consulting before starting the MBA program, was impressed by the freshman. “How many other freshman would be here on a Thursday night, rather than socializing with their friends? It shows a lot of dedication and ambition.” Ipakchi was also impressed that the Smith School was working on helping prepare such young students for the process of job searching—as an undergraduate in the University of Maryland School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Ipakchi didn’t really start thinking about her career until senior year. “There are so many resources available at Smith,” she said. “Students who take the time to use them really get a great head start on their careers.”

View the original article here